Responsible cat ownership
Keeping and caring for pet cat is a relatively simple, but very rewarding process. Being a responsible cat owner means ensuring the health and welfare of your pet and also the community.
Responsible ownership includes providing adequate food, water and shelter, vaccination and registration.
For cats it also means ensuring they can’t roam around neighbourhoods and pose a threat to wildlife. It’s estimated 390 million animals are killed by roaming cats in Australia each year, with 241 million being native. Roaming cats have also contributed to the extinction of more than 20 native species.
Register your cat
Number of cats allowed
The number of cats allowed (over the age of 3 months) per allotment is set out below.
| Property type |
Allowed |
Required an additional cat permit |
Prohibited |
| Allotments 600m2 or more |
1 to 2 cats |
3 to 4 cats |
5 or more cats |
| Allotments less than 600m2 OR multi-residential premises |
1 cat |
2 cats |
3 or more cats |
If you would like to keep more pets than the allowed limit, an Additional Animal Permit is required.
In addition to the above requirements, the following must also be met:
- All cats on the property must be registered with Mackay Regional Council. If they have not yet been registered, you must submit a New Animal Registration for each cat, prior to submitting an Additional Cat Permit Application.
- You must provide a Mackay Regional Council Animal Registration Tag Number for all cats on the property as part of the Additional Cat Permit Application.
- You must provide a detailed site layout of the property housing the cats. An example site layout can be viewed here(PDF, 17KB).
After submission, your application will be processed and an authorised officer will be in contact to arrange an inspection of your property.
Additional cat permit application
Microchipping
It is a requirement that all kittens be microchipped after 8 weeks of age. If you acquire an adult cat, it must be microchipped within seven days.
Desexing
Cats are prolific breeders and owners are strongly encouraged to desex their cats to reduce the number of unwanted animals in the community.
Desexing has a positive impact on a cat’s health and temperament and makes them less likely to want to roam.
The best time to desex your cat is between four and six months of age.
Discounted registration costs are available to desexed cat.
Problem behaviours
Stray and wild cats
Council has a number of cat traps available for short-term use to catch stray and wild cats.
These can be borrowed, free of charge, from council’s Customer Service Centres in Mackay, Mirani and Sarina by residents and commercial/business operators. A deposit will be required per trap (refundable upon return). Please bring in a form of photo identification to hire.
If you do trap a cat, it is your responsibility to take it to the Animal Management Centre during their opening hours.
NOTE – possums are a protected species and these traps are NOT to be used to catch these animals.
Excessive animals
Limits apply in the number of cats allowed to be kept on a property.
Excessive animals can be reported online.